Orange county punk trio Agent Orange were the pioneers of surf punk, meldin… Read Full Bio ↴Orange county punk trio Agent Orange were the pioneers of surf punk, melding the guitar figures of classic surf music with the fast-and-loud attack of hardcore punk rock, and they became one of the truly enduring bands in the West Coast punk community. Formed in 1979 by guitarist and vocalist Mike Palm, they became one of the leading acts in West Coast punk with the release of the single "Bloodstains" in 1980, which received extensive radio support from iconic DJ Rodney Bingenheimer. The group's debut album, 1981's Living in Darkness, became a touchstone in the skate punk underground, and 1986's This Is the Voice found them adding some polish to their sound without robbing their music of its intensity. The group's recording activities dropped off in the mid-'90s after the release of 1996's Virtually Indestructible, but Palm kept Agent Orange busy as a live act well into the 2010s, touring the world and pleasing fans despite numerous lineup changes.

Agent Orange was formed in Placentia, California in 1979 by guitarist Mike Palm, a musical omnivore whose early influences included vintage surf music, heavy metal, and '50s and '60s rock. Emboldened by the rise of punk rock, Palm began consolidating his tastes into a meld that fused the style of classic sounds with the impact and velocity of punk. Teaming with bassist Steve Soto and drummer Scott Miller, Palm assembled the first edition of Agent Orange (the name was a dual reference to the notorious defoliant used by the United States military in Vietnam and the group's home in California's Orange County). In 1980, the trio self-released their debut single, "Bloodstains" b/w "America" and "Bored of You." Thanks to frequent spins on Bingenheimer's KROQ radio show, "Bloodstains" became a favorite in the Southern California punk community, and the band struck a deal with the independent Posh Boy label to cut their first full-length album, 1981's Living in Darkness. By the time Agent Orange cut the LP, Steve Soto had left the group to form the Adolescents, and James Levesque took over on bass. Living in Darkness spread the word about the band's skate-friendly surf/punk sound, and Posh Boy pulled a single from the album, "Everything Turns Gray," backed with a revved-up cover of the Chantays' "Pipeline." 1982 saw the release of Bitchin' Summer, a four-song EP featuring covers of four classic surf instrumentals.

In 1983, Agent Orange jumped from Posh Boy to a larger and better distributed indie, Enigma Records, and brought out the EP When You Least Expect It, which featured two originals and two covers, including their take on Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love." While Agent Orange remained active as a live band, it would be three years before they released another recording, their second full-length album, 1986's This Is the Voice, which boasted slicker production and a poppier sound than their previous efforts. Agent Orange were never an especially prolific recording act, and it would be 1991 before another album appeared, a live recording titled Real Live Sound. During the downtime between This Is the Voice and Real Live Sound, Scott Miller and James Levesque both left the group, and bassist Brent Liles and drummer Derek O'Brien signed on. In 1991, O'Brien dropped out, and Scotty Lund took over behind the drums, while Sam Bolle preplaced Liles on bass in 1992. In 1996, Agent Orange released their third studio album, Virtually Indestructible, released by the Gunka Disc label. The album featured drummer Charlie Quintana (formerly of the Plugz and Social Distortion) taking over for Scotty Lund, though Steve Latanation would step in after Quintana's departure in 1997.

In 2000, Agent Orange returned with Greatest & Latest, which collected live and studio recordings of original songs as well as tunes from their back catalog. The album was reissued in 2004 as Blood Stained Hitz, and was recycled again in 2008 as Surfing to Some F#*ked Up S@!t, with the addition of a cover of Metallica's "Seek and Destroy." In 2004, there was another turnover in the rhythm section with the arrival of bassist Bruce Taylor and drummer Dusty Watson. In 2006, bassist Perry Giordano came on board after Taylor moved on, and Dave Klein succeeded Watson as drummer in 2009. In 2003, Agent Orange's Enigma Records material was reissued in a two-CD set titled Sonic Snake Session. Liles died in 2007 after being hit by a truck, Levesque passed in 2014, and Quintana lost his life after struggling with emphysema and heart disease in 2018.

Biography by Mark Deming

Members

Mike Palm : Vocals & Guitars (1979 - Present)
Steve Soto : Bass & Vocals (1979-1980)
James Levesque : Bass & Vocals (1980 - 1988)
Brent Liles : Bass & Vocals (1989 - 1995)
Sam Bolle : Bass & Vocals (1996 - 2005)
Perry Gx : Bass & Vocals (2006 - Present)
Scott Miller : Drums & Vocals (1979 - 1988)
Derek O'Brien : Drums & Vocals (1989 - 1995)
Charles Quintana : Drums & Vocals (1996 - 1998)
Dusty Watson : Drums (1999 - 2000)
Steve Latanation : Drums (2000 - 2005)
Dave Klein : Drums (2009 - Present)

Albums
Living in Darkness 1980
When You Least Expect It 1984
This Is The Voice 1986
Real Live Sound 1990
Virtually Indestructible 1996
This That-n-The Other Thing 2000

There are other artists with the same name:

Dutch Agent Orange

The second Agent Orange was a Dutch hardcore punk band from Amsterdam. They were formerly known as Jezus and the Gospelfuckers and also recorded songs for a Pusmort compilation under the bandname "Genocide Express". As Agent Orange they record 2 singles, the first called "your mother sucks coocks in hell" which sells on ebay for insanely high prices, and a second one called "VD" aka "hello boyfriend coming my way?

German Agent Orange are from Germany and were formed in 2005 in "hude" near Bremen.

Swiss Agent Orange
Trip/bit hop producer, to avoid confusion, he changed his name to agentff6600.

Danish Agent Orange
Two musicians of a local danish band called digiis (short of digital inspired), who has made a side project. The music is both electronic and acoustic.
http://www.myspace.com/davidmads

There is also another German Agent Orange from Bisingen. They played Metal and released a single and 2 albums, the second on B.O. Records.

You Belong To Me
Agent Orange Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(i can change anything)
You're all alone - just staring at the phone
As if you're reaching out to dial my number
I hear your voice - I hear you call my name
You know I only want to change your destiny

you know - you belong to me

hang up and then - it rings again
This time I know it's you - no, I won't answer

Unplug the phone - I want it to be known
I need a chance to cause a new catastrophe

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Agent Orange's song "You Belong to Me" seem to be from the perspective of a person who is obsessed with someone and wants to control their life. The opening lines depict the person sitting alone, probably waiting to hear from the one they are obsessed with. They hear the person's voice and seem to have an urge to control the other person's destiny, suggesting that they might try to intervene in their life to bring them under their control.

The next line - "you know - you belong to me" - is particularly revealing, as it shows the obsession and the sense of ownership this person feels over the other. They believe that the other person must belong to them, and they want to control every aspect of their life. Despite the person not answering their call, they still have an urge to reach out to them and control their life. The final line - "I need a chance to cause a new catastrophe" - suggests that the obsession has led to destructive behavior in the past, and the person wants to continue with it.

Line by Line Meaning

You're all alone - just staring at the phone
I understand that you're feeling lonely and waiting for me to contact you.

As if you're reaching out to dial my number
I can tell that you want to call me, but you're hesitant.

I hear your voice - I hear you call my name
Even though you haven't actually spoken to me, I feel like I can hear your voice and that you're calling out to me.

You know I only want to change your destiny
I believe that I have the power to change your future for the better, and I want to do that for you.

you know - you belong to me
I feel like you are mine and no one else can have you.

hang up and then - it rings again
Even if you decide not to call me, the phone will still ring because I want you to think about me.

This time I know it's you - no, I won't answer
I am intentionally ignoring your calls because I want you to seek my attention more desperately.

Unplug the phone - I want it to be known
I want you to realize that I am in control and that you cannot reach me whenever you want.

I need a chance to cause a new catastrophe
I am bored and want to stir up some drama in our relationship, so I'm intentionally causing trouble even if it hurts you.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MIKE PALM

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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